New Delhi is taking a step in defiance of American demands. Bloomberg reports that India has officially confirmed that it will continue buying Russian oil despite the 50% US tariffs on Indian goods.
India has condemned the US decision, pointing out double standards: Europe itself continues to purchase oil from Russia. EU–Russia trade in 2024 reached €67.5 billion in goods and €17.2 billion in services. Europe also imported a record 16.5 million tons of Russian LNG, the highest number since 2022.
“Where we buy our oil from, especially a big-ticket foreign exchange item where we pay so much, the highest in terms of import, we will have to take a call on what suits us best. We will undoubtedly be buying,” stated India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
In doing so, New Delhi ignored US President Donald Trump’s demand to stop importing Russian oil, prompting renewed public criticism from him.
“Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” Trump wrote in a social media post, adding a photo of the three leaders together at Xi Jinping’s summit in China.
Volumes of Russian oil declining
Meanwhile, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, has reported that Russian oil shipments to India fell from 1.8 million barrels per day in 2024 to 1.1 million in September 2025.
“Delhi is demanding additional discounts and payments in non-convertible rupees. US tariffs on Indian goods for Russian oil have already reached 50%,” he says.
He adds that the US and EU sanctions have limited Moscow’s oil trade, and now India and China are dictating the terms.
China increases purchases on its terms
At the same time, Kovalenko reveals that China has increased its purchases of Russian oil, from 50,000 barrels in August to 420,000 barrels in September, but also only under conditions of significant discounts, which are $5–6 below Brent.